Although Sunagakure was the weakest among the Five Great Hidden Villages in both military might and resources, its main gate was no less grand than that of Konoha. While a village's size doesn't always match its power, becoming one of the Five Great Hidden Villages meant it definitely had deep roots.
The cart carrying the Konoha group finally rolled up to the main entrance. During wartime, Hidden Village gates were usually left open twenty-four hours a day—this allowed easier movement of their own ninjas in and out and for intelligence to be passed along.
No enemy ninja would be foolish—or arrogant—enough to try storming the main gates of Sunagakure.
Despite already passing inspection at "Sky Crack," they still had to go through another round of checks. However, civilian supply convoys like this Konoha group arrived daily by the handful.
These inspections were mostly focused on the supplies. As for personnel, Sensor Ninjas monitored everyone, so the guards weren't worried about enemy ninjas sneaking in.
But this time… facing Konoha ninjas disguised as civilians, they watched helplessly as enemies slipped right under their noses into Sunagakure.
After passing the check, Sakumo's group entered Sunagakure without much trouble, guided by a Sand ninja.
Most buildings in Sunagakure were made from massive yellow rocks, their shapes strange compared with those in Konoha, possessing a unique kind of beauty.
On both sides of the road, patches of sand remained visible, and even the rocky paths were covered with a thin layer of fine sand.
From the Land of Wind itself to Sunagakure, it truly felt like entering a country of sand.
The leading Sand ninja walked ahead without looking back, while the Konoha group tried not to attract suspicion, observing everything inside Sunagakure carefully.
Since Desert's Sorrow—a particular poison flower—grew in sandy soil and didn't require excessive nutrients but needed very specific sunlight conditions, it couldn't possibly be grown indoors.
This fortunate detail spared the Konoha group a lot of trouble; since Desert's Sorrow grew outdoors, it made their mission significantly easier.
As they scanned their surroundings, Minato and the others quickly spotted several concealed watchtowers scattered along Sunagakure's streets.
...
Guided by the Sand ninja, Minato's group arrived at a supply depot.
Once the supplies were handed over to the depot staff, the guide turned around and headed back to his post.
"Only this little?" When the worker saw the two carts Minato's group had brought, he frowned and muttered in obvious contempt.
Minato kept his face expressionless, though inwardly heavy-hearted. From Hanyu Yamanaka's memories of this family, these two carts represented what nearly dozens of households from that small village had painstakingly gathered together.
After giving away these supplies, they might not even have enough food to eat. It's no secret that the Land of Wind isn't like the Land of Fire—though some villages are built around desert oases, their grain output can't match that of similar villages in other major nations.
Still, to resist Konoha's invasion, at least among the villagers of that small village, support for Sunagakure remained strong.
The staff had done their best to offer support, yet this Suna ninja still looked down on them.
Minato despised most those who disregarded the kindness of others.
"You come with me."
Not without reluctance, the staff member waved his hand, and the middle-aged man pretending to be Sakumo followed him into the nearby supply depot.
Hyuga Kubei and Hanyu Yamanaka also drove the horse cart and entered closely behind.
Since it would still take time to count the supplies, Minato and the others idly wandered around as if curiously observing their surroundings, though in reality, they were carefully studying the layout.
Shasha!
Suddenly, footsteps came from the right path of the supply depot. Mikoto instinctively turned her head, but when she saw who it was, her expression froze instantly.
After several seconds, she finally regained her composure and murmured in astonishment, "What a beautiful... child!"
Her words of admiration also drew Minato's and Junko Watanabe's attention. At that moment, the child who had been praised turned his head as well, directly meeting the gazes of both Minato and Junko.
Then, even on Minato's and Junko's faces appeared expressions of shock.
Even Minato, known for his composure, couldn't help but be taken aback by how stunning the child looked.
This was a child who couldn't have been more than five or six years old — yet already possessed a beauty that defied age.
His bright red hair fell in soft, delicate bangs over his forehead. His skin was fair and smooth, seemingly delicate enough to burst like silk. His nose was high and refined; his eyebrows and eyes looked as if they had been drawn with ink brushes. The sunlight shone on his long eyelashes, causing them to tremble slightly.
The three—Mikoto, Minato, and Junko—who were disguised, all had good looks before, yet compared to this child, they still paled a bit.
This child was practically a divine creation — flawless in every way.
Seeing the child turn his gaze toward her, Mikoto returned a gentle smile.
Though her appearance had changed, her innate gentleness remained unchanged.
Shortly after, Minato and Junko also smiled back.
The child gave a faint and strangely stiff smile before turning around and walking away.
Just then, Sakumo's group happened to walk out along with the Suna official managing the supply depot. When the latter saw the child disappearing into the distance, he sighed softly.
"So it's Sasori-sama..."
"Sasori-sama!?" Sakumo couldn't help but feel puzzled. The Suna ninja who had just looked down on them so arrogantly was now referring to a mere child with the honorific "sama."
Hearing his confusion, the Suna ninja explained, "He is the son of Lady Kouhi and Lord Nagare, and also the grandson of Elder Chiyo herself!"
"Oh."
A trace of shock flickered through Sakumo and the others' eyes. From the Suna ninja's perspective, they were astonished at the names of Kouhi, Nagare, and Chiyo, but the real reason lay in the fact that this child named Sasori was connected to all three.
Sakumo had once faced off against Sasori's mother in battle...
When he heard the name "Sasori," Minato's heart involuntarily tightened.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the still-present short figure.
"Sasori… Akasuna no Sasori, is it?"
Minato mentally sighed. He had once heard of this genius puppet master of Sunagakure.
After all, by the age of thirteen, he had already become the most terrifying criminal in the history of the Land of Wind.
Akasuna no Sasori was an S-rank rogue ninja from Sunagakure. It was said his hands were stained with the blood surrounding The Third Kazekage's death.
And The Third Kazekage's death served as the spark for The Third Great Ninja War...
...
...
P.S.: Uh... regarding Sasori of the Red Sand's appearance, did I write it too exaggeratedly?
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